1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cremation niches, and particularly to a cremation niche having an improved concrete building block configuration of uniform size and fabrication and having a completely open ended interior for ease of manufacture and economy.
2. Description of Related Art
Cremation has become an increasingly popular burial means for human and animal remains. Popularity is increasing as the cost of conventional funerals and burial property dramatically increases. Cremation internment typically involves the storage of a relatively small volume of finely ground ash produced during the cremation process. Although disposal of cremation ash is also quite popular wherein the ash is spread over a particular area, terrain or at sea, nonetheless retaining the cremated remains for various reasons is also quite popular.
Although one storage means for cremation ash is within a portable urn, cremation niches used in a crypt or mausoleum to form, or be positioned against a vertical wall add further dignity to the cremation internment process. In my previous patent, I utilized a well-known building block structure in the form of a concrete building block or cinderblock formed of cured aggregate concrete material having a size and shape of a conventional concrete building block. Each niche, formed to include one of these concrete blocks, was then used to form an entire display wall within a crematorium or the like. However, the manufacturer of the concrete block with a closed end cavity as best seen in FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,637 was found to be uneconomical to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,287,306 to Green discloses a device for storing remains. Kele et al. teaches a burial crypt arrangement in U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,745. A self-mountable niche for remains ashes is disclosed by Bach Lahor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,439. Zartman et al. teach a columbarium and niche unit therefor in U.S. Pat. No. 6,578,323.
The present invention provides an improved concrete block structure utilized to form a cremation niche. This improved concrete block has only parallel side, top and bottom walls, the front and back walls being completely open to define a completely open ended interior thereof. However, the benefits of forming such an improved concrete block having the same size and shape as that of a conventional concrete building block have been retained, the improvement affording substantial decreases in the cost of manufacture. Because of the completely open interior, it is preferred that this improved cremation niche be utilized to form a bank of niches against a support wall which is preferably formed of the same improved concrete block structure.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of the drawings.